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B.C. poet Shane Koyczan releases haunting anti-bullying video

B.C. poet Shane Koyczan

Shane Koyczan, the B.C. poet known for his performance of "We are More" at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics opening ceremony, has released a new video that tackles the issue of bullying.

The video is based on Koyczan's poem, "To This Day," which the writer says explores "the profound and lasting impact that bullying can have on an individual."

"…I'm not the only kid who grew up this way/Surrounded by people who used to say that rhyme about sticks and stones/As if broken bones hurt more than the names we got called/And we got called them all…To this day kids are still being called names…"

The poem is accompanied by a series of crowd-sourced animated segments.

Early reviews have been positive. Mashable called the animated video, "haunting and beautiful, powerful and startling, sad and relatable. And, above all, the video and poetry will reshape your views on name calling, harassment and pain, encouraging you to confront and end the cycle of hatred and bullying kids face."

The B.C. poet has spoken out on the topic of bullying in the past. Following the death of Coquitlam teenager Amanda Todd last November, Koyczan was among a group of prominent British Columbians who launched a campaign on Facebook to introduce security measures to protect underage children from predators who troll the site looking for potential victims.